The Rising Costs of Sending Your Kids to a Private School

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The average cost of private school tuition has grown at a rate that is higher than inflation over the past 20-years. While there are several cost increases that have led to the rise in private school tuition, administrative employee compensation has been the main catalyst for the increases in private school expenses. The rise in the volume of employees who have a larger compensation package than a typical teacher has created the upward trajectory in private school tuition costs.

The most expensive average high school tuition costs are in New England, while the least expensive are scattered throughout the country.

Top 5 Most Expensive Average High School Tuitions

• Vermont – $31,532
• Connecticut – $31,413
• Massachusetts – $30,186
• New Hampshire – $29,649
• Maine – $29,059

The most expensive average elementary school tuition cost is on the East Coast, with the majority of the top-5 in New England. The cost of elementary school is less expensive than High School. In fact, the cost of the top high school is 2.3-times greater than the most expensive elementary school.

Top 5 Most Expensive Average Elementary School Tuitions

• Connecticut – $13,412
• Massachusetts – $10,822
• New Hampshire – $10,773
• Virginia – $10,755
• New York – $10,513

Average high school tuition in the United States continues to rise as private schools attempt to offset rising employee compensation costs with tuitions. While finding strong educators requires competitive compensation, high schools have additional costs because of requirements which include hiring administrators who help pave the way for students to attend college. The increase in administrator compensation appears to be the driver behind increasing average tuition costs throughout the United States.

Sources: Table 1.1